New Clinical Guidelines Offer evidence-Based Dietary Approaches for Constipation Management
Recent clinical guidelines,jointly published in the Journal of Human โNutrition & dietetics and Neurogastroenterology & Motility,aim to modernize the treatmentโ of chronic constipation. Developed โขwith โฃthe support of the British Dietetic Association (BDA), the guidelines seek to equip doctors, nurses, and dieticians with updated recommendationsโค for clinical practice, and โempower patients to better manageโ their symptoms,โ particularly through โdietary adjustments.
Constipation is a widespread condition thatโ significantly impactsโ quality of lifeโค and places a significant โคfinancial burden on healthcare โขsystems. Previous clinical guidance often provided limited and sometimes outdated dietary advice, primarily focusing on increased fiber and โfluid intake.โฃ
These newโ recommendations represent a shift, being grounded โin numerous rigorous โsystematic reviews and meta-analyses assessed using the โฃGRADE framework for evaluatingโ evidenceโฃ quality.โฃ A multidisciplinaryโฃ expert panel – including dietitians, a nutritionist, a gastroenterologist, an intestinalโค physiologist, and a โฃgeneralโค practitioner – meticulously reviewed over โข75 clinical trials,โ resulting in 59 โฃsuggestion statements andโข the identification of 12 keyโ areas forโข future research.
Eiriniโ Dimidi, Senior Lecturer in Nutritional Sciences at King’s โคCollege London and โlead โฃauthor of the guidelines, emphasizes the impact of the new approach: “Chronic constipation can have a big impact. For the first time, we have provided guidance on wich dietaryโข approaches can really โคhelp and โwhich lack evidence.”
The guidelines โprioritize constipation-related outcomes like stool frequency, consistency, straining during bowel movements, and overall quality of life, allowing for more personalized care. However, the evidence reviewโฃ also โฃrevealed a critical need forโ improved research quality in this area.Existing studies โoften focused on isolated interventions rather than extensive dietary strategies.
While a high-fiber diet โขis โคgenerally beneficial for overall health, the guidelines foundโ insufficient evidence to specifically support its effectiveness โฃforโข constipation. Dimidi notes, โ”Eating a high-fiber diet offers โmany benefits to overallโฃ health and has been a common recommendation for constipation. Though, our guidelines found that there is simply not enough evidence to โฃsupport itsโฃ specific effectiveness for constipation. Instead,our research reveals newโฃ dietary strategies that coudl help patients.”
Kevin Whelan highlights โคthe potential ofโ these guidelines to improve patient care, stating that they represent “a promising step towards empowering healthcare professionals and their patients to manageโข constipation through diet,” and that they will allow individuals worldwide toโ “receive up-to-date advice โbased on the best available evidence to improve โขtheir symptoms and well-being.” He furtherโค emphasizes the importance of continued research to solidify understandingโ andโ achieveโค lasting improvements in quality of life.
